Slidable jaw-face, open-end wrench



March 31, 1959 H. c. BLASDELL 2,879,681

SLIDABLE JAW-FACE, OPEN-END WRENCH Filed Oct. 28, 1957 II \f/ lo 7 ll -43 TIE; J.

' I TIE; S

INVENTOR.

HOWARD Caz/950621 AUTO/7N5) United Sites Patent 9 SLIDABLE JAW-FACE, OPEN-END WRENCH Howard C. Blasdell, Flint, Mich.

Application October 28, 1957, Serial No. 692,631

2 Claims. (Cl. 81-179) This invention relates to a slidable jaw block wrench, and particularly pertains to a simplified sliding block arrangement.

Slidable block wrenches have been employed heretofore to facilitate the tightening of a nut in one direction of rotational movement and by-passing the nut in the other direction so as to avoid the necessity of removing and resetting the wrench relative to the nut, however, the several devices of the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as they are complicated in design and construction, expensive to manufacture, difiicult to keep in repair, and are price-wise too costly relative to ordinary open end wrenches.

With the foregoing in view, the primary object of the invention is to provide a sliding block arrangement for open end wrenches which is extremely simple in design and construction, very inexpensiveto manufacture, easy to use, easy to repair, and which is cost-wise competitiv with ordinary open end wrenches.

An object of the invention is to provide a simplified stem, spring, slot,.and retaining arrangement on the block for locating the block in driving position over the adjacent jaw and for permitting the block to move into the head slot in non-driving position.

An object of the invention .is to provide a blind aperture for receiving the spring and stem in the wrench head behind the slot and a simplified key and travel arrangement for permitting movement of the block into the slot and for limiting the outward movement of the block over the adjacent jaw.

An object of the invention is to provide a simplified block arrangement wherein the spring and stem receiving aperture leads through the head and transverse keys inserted to form'a shoulder within the aperture for abutting the spring and a connecting rod nut on either side thereof.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description of a slidable block wrench embodying the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a wrench head, the handle being broken away, showing the inventive sliding block arrangement in cross-section.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1 taken on the line 2-2 thereof showing the head slot, block, and stem.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1 taken on the line 3--3 thereof showing the stem reduced area and transverse key; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the slidable-block end wrench disclosed therein to illustrate the invention comprises a head mounted on a handle 11 having an adjacent jaw 12 and an opposite jaw 14; the head is equipped with a slot 13 at the base of the adjacent jaw 12 and a block 15 is disposed over the adjacent jaw 12 and receivable into slot 13. The

2,879,681 Patented Mar. 31, 1959 head 10 is equipped with an aperture 16 for receiving the stem 17 and the spring 18 which urge the block 15 outwardly into the nut engaging position over the adjacent jaw 12 and the outward movement of the block is limited by the key 19 disposed through the transverse key aperture 20 of the head 10 so as to intercept the stem 17 in the relieved portion 21 and to engage the projection 22 on the stem.

In the second embodiment of the invention, the spring 18 abuts the cross keys 31 and stem 32, connecting rod 25 leads past the keys 31 and is fitted with a nut 34 on the opposite side of the keys 31 so that the nut 34 via rod 25 limits the outward movement of the block 15 as urged by the spring.

More particularly, it is to be noted that the paired adjacent and opposite jaws 12 and 14 on the head 10 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the cornerto-corner dimension of a nut receivable between the jaws so that the jaws are freely rotationally adapted to bypass the nut in a non-driving rotational direction; the jaw block 15 is of such dimension that it is spaced from the opposite jaw a distance slightly greater than the flat-to-fiat dimension of a nut receivable between the opposite jaw and block so as to drivingly engage a nut between the block 15 and the opposite jaw 14 in a driving rotational direction.

The block is equipped with a rounded cam nose 26 for camming off the nut corners during reverse driving rotational movement and it is to be noted that the block 15 is the same width dimension as the jaws and slot so that no plates, channels, or grooves are necessary for locating the block on the jaws and in the slot due to the fact that the stem 17 locates the block relative to the adjacent jaw 12 both axially and laterally and slot 13 prevents angular movement of the block 15. The axial movement of the block and stem is limited by the key 19 and projection 22 arrangement, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the manufacture of the wrench it is only necessary to form the adjacent and opposite jaws in the usual manner and then to mill the slot 13, drill the receiving aperture 16, and the transverse key receiving aperture 20; in making the block it is only necessary to form the block and stem integral Fig. 1, or to form the block and attach the stem as by a screw thread arrangement, Fig. 4, and to relieve the stem in the area 21 of the transverse key 19 The assembly of the wrench is readily accomplished as it is only necessary to drop the spring 18 into the blind hole 16 to then insert the block stem 17, compress the spring 18 and then insert the transverse key 19 whereby the wrench is completely integrated and manufactured to a finished prroduct. No intricate milling, slotting, grooving, or forming arrangements are necessary and it can be understood that the manufacture of the wrench is extremely inexpensive and almost comparable in cost to an ordinary open end wrench. It is to be readily understood that the instant sliding block wrench can be manufactured much more inexpensively than the other sliding jaw block wrenches of the prior art.

In modification of the wrench shown in Fig. 4 the receiving aperture 30 is drilled through the head 10 and the transverse key apertures are drilled so as to partially intercept aperture 30 so that when the keys 31 are inserted they form a shoulder within the aperture 30. The stem 32 on the block 15 abuts the spring 18 and the connecting rod 25 is fixed to the stem 32 at 33 and leads through the spring 18 past the keys 31 to the nut 34 so that the spring urges the block 15 outwardly and the movement is limited by the nut 34 abutting the keys 31.

The inventive wrenches with these features constitutes a compact, durable, neat appearing, and easily and inexpensively manufactured wrench capable of eflicient acommerciallycompetitive item to ordinary open end wrenches.

Although but two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail, it is obvious that 'rriany changesmay-"be made in the size, shape, detail, and

Iarrangementof the various :elements of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

I-I-cIaim:

1. A-sliding jaw block wrench for drivinga nut in one rotational direction and for by-passing a nutin the opposite rotational direction comprising a head, paired adja'centand opposite jaws on said head spaced apart a distance slig'htly greater than'the corner-to-corner dimension of a nut receivable between said jaws so that said jaws care f freely rotationallydispose about the nut to bypass nut inanon-driving rotational direction, a jaw block slidably disposed over said adjacent jaw; said block being "spaced 'from said-opposite jaw a distance-slightly greater that the flat-to-flatdimensionof a nutreceivable'between said opposite jaw-and said block so as to drivingly engagea nut in a driving rotational direction therebetween;

:said head having a slot below said adjacent jaw for receiving said block to permit said block to moveout of the area of said jaws; said head having a hole behind said slot for receiving and housing a spring and a stem or: said :block; said head having a transverse key aperture partially crossing said hole; a spring disposed in said hole, the stem on said block abutting said spring with said spring normally urging said block outwardly of said slot 'over said adjacent jaw in nut engaging condition;

=.engagement with a nut corner during non-driving direction of rotational movement with said stem relieved area by-passing saidkeyand said stem compressing said spring;

said springand stem being capable of moving said block out of said head slot into nut flat engaging position over- :lyingsaid adjacent jaw; said projection and key limiting the outward travel of said block to locate said block in l-thedesired position over saidjaw.

:2.;A sliding jaw block wrench-for driving'a nut in one irotational direction and for by-passing a nut in the op vposite rotational direction comprising a head, a paired adjacent and opposite jaw on said head spaced apart a ,distance slightly greater than the corner-to-corner dimension of a nut receivable between said jaws so that said jaws are freely rotationally disposed about the nut to bypass the nut in a non-driving rotational direction, a jaw block slidably disposed over said adjacent jaw; said block being spaced from said opposite jaw a distance slightly greater than the flat-to-flat dimension of a nut receivable between said opposite jaw and said block so as to drivingly engage a nut in a driving rotational direction therebetween; said head having a slot below said adjacent jaw area for receiving said block to permit said block to move out of the area of .said jaws; said head having a hole hehind said slot for receiving and housing a spring and a stem on said block; said head having a transverse key aperture partially crossing said hole; a key disposed in said transverse aperture, a spring disposed in said hole abutting said key, a stem on said block abutting said :spring'with said spring with said spring normally urging said block outwardly of said slotover said adjacent jaw in not engaging condition, said stem having a reduced .area extension leading past said spring and key, and an enlarged projection on said extension engaging said key oppositely to :said spring for holding said block in not engaging position against said spring urging said block outwardly; .saidstem and key being by-passable via said reduced area in aninward direction of travel of said block into said head slot; said block being cammable into .said head slot by engagement with a nut corner during non-driving-direction .of rotational movement with said stem reduced area by-passingsaid keyand said stem compressing said spring; said spring and stem being capable of moving said block outof said head slot into nut flat engaging .position overlying said adjacent jaw; said stem projection and key limiting the outward travel of said block to locate said blockin the desired position over said aw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 510,182 Martini ",1... Dec. 5, 1893 758,035 Beecher Apr. 19, 1904 770,699 Randall Sept. 20, 1904 879,155 Ellis Feb. 18, 1908 1,308,440 Morrison July 1, 1919 1,898,388 Parker Feb. 21, 1933 2,592,781 Yavner Apr. 15, 1952 .,2,795,,160 Blasdeli June 11. 1957 

